Dental lip and tongue depressor



A. BARR! DENTAL LIP AND TONGUE DEPRESSOR.

APPLICATION FILED 'MAR', 14. 1921.

Patented Dem. 20,1921.-

ARTHUR BARR, OF SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA.

DENTAL LIP'AND TONGUE DEPRESSOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2U, 19211.

Application filed March 14. 1921. Serial No. 452.036.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR BARR, a citizen of the United States, and resident of San Rafael, Marin county, California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dental Lip and Tongue Depressors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object a device formed especially to lit in the mouth and for the purpose of holding the lips and tongue awayfrorn the teeth on which a dentist is working.

My device consists of a plate formed of aluminum or the like to lit within the mouth and to project over the lips and having an opening or recess through which some of the teeth may project. i-Iolding means are provided with this plate whereby it is kept in the proper location in the patients mouth and preferably also a spring clamp or arm extending under the chin, thus enabling the dentist to work freely with both hands in and about the patients mouth. My invention is particularly advantageous in connection with crowns and bridge work as its use enables the dentist to employ both of his hands and also to keep the patients tongue and lips from any accidental contact with the surfaces which he is preparing.

referring to the accompanying drawings my invention will be made clear.

In the figures I have shown my invention as applied to the lower left jaw but it will be apparent that plates may be formed for use on the opposite side or front of the mouth and also for the upper portion of the mouth by changing the contour of the plate to suit the location in the mouth in which the work is to be performed.

Figure 1 is a front view showing my plate in place in the lower left side of the patients mouth.

Fig. 2 is a side perspective view of the plate and its parts in the patients mouth.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the plate and its parts of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4: is a sectional view of the plate of Fig. 3 and on the line IVIV thereof.

The numeral 1 indicatesthe plate which I prefer to form of aluminum, vulcanized rubber or the like, and of such contour as wlll give a smooth curved surface for depressing the patients lips as indicated at 2 and 3 and which plate extends into the mouth and around the teeth as by the U part 4 and having the internal surface 5 adapted to depress the tongue. Extending from the outside of the plate as at 6 is a spring member adapted to extend around the jaw and hold the plate in position. Said spring member being preferably furnished with a rounded end portion as at '7; and at 8 is an elastic cord or spring extending down and from the plate 1 and held in position by the spring piece 9 about the neck. The use of my invention will be apparent from Figs. 2 and 1, the plate being inserted within the patients mouth with a recess or opening over the teeth 10, 11, 12 and the member 5 depressing the tongue, and the curved portion depressing the lips as at 2 and 3. The spring member 6 is sprung under the jaw as shown in Fig. 2 and the yoke 9 fitted around the patients neck and the elastic member 8 con nected between the plate 1 and the yoke 9. In this way the plate holds the patients lips and tongue depressed allowin free access to the teeth to be worked upon at 10, 11, 12.

I claim:

1. In a tongue and lip depressor, a plate of U shape adapted to be placed around a plurality of teeth, the inner leg shaped to depress the tongue, and the outer leg widened and curved to lay over the lip.

2. In combination with a tongue and lip depressor, a plate formed as set forth in claim 1 and clamping means attached to the outer part of said plate and adapted to be fixed under the jaw and hold said plate in place in the mouth.

3. In combination with a tongue and lip depressor, a plate formed as setforth in claim 1 and spring means attached to the outer part of said plate and adapted to be fixed under the jaw and hold said plate in place in the mouth.

ARTHUR BARR. 

